TODAY'S INTRODUCTION IS THE WORK OF PHOTOGRAPHER VIGUIER FANNY - "CREOLE SOUL"
Created in collaboration with designer Vincent Frédéric, originally from Guadeloupe, Creole Soul was the beginning of a creative manifesto that defended cultural identity using fashion and image.
Trained as a stylist, Vincent designs a range of menswear and accessories that are often reconnected with Caribbean and Creole aesthetics. So he cleverly incorporated lace, madras and other details of local clothing into his "streetwear" pieces. He purified the production technique and dissected the pattern to the extreme, in order to achieve the bone. Through these processes, Vincent reinterpreted clothing by combining folk norms with contemporary style, while also revisiting the identity of the Antilles.
This is how I visualized it. Translating and illustrating comments related to the topics of my research, in particular the idea of clothing as a social language and the question of the representation of black people through the ages. Therefore, this project is rooted in the encounter of our two artistic emotions.
The first series of photographs revisits the last century in the studio.
We then continue to explore Creole themes in the Guadeloupe setting, shedding historical clichés and desanctifying outdated tropical myths. Crisscrossing the island of Guadeloupe, looking for places and models that convey the meaning we want to give to this collection.
If the visuals refer to postcards from early 20th century Caribbean anthropological photography, they will show local masculinity in a whole new light.
Therefore, Créole Soul sought to go beyond simple fashion photography. To be a truly creative and progressive manifesto that signals the emergence of neo-Creoles. A man who knows how to get rid of the status of a slave descendant, reinvent himself, and no longer need to express himself.
